1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a cooling bed for rails with an apparatus which is intended for transferring the rails onto the cooling bed from an infeeding roller table and is set up for bending the rails counter to the bending which they undergo during cooling.
2. Description of the Related Art
The known apparatuses of this type grip behind the rail foot by means of hooks and drag the rail over onto the cooling bed from the roller table. In this case, the rail is moved by a greater distance in the central region of its length than in the end regions. The rail is bent in this way. As it moves over the cooling bed, the rail bends back and, ultimately, even bends to some extent towards the other side. However, the bending, in particular at the ends, produced by the apparatus is often inadequate. The reason for this is that, towards the ends, the length remaining on the far side of a drawing hook, and thus the mass of the rail, and thus the frictional force restraining the rail here, decreases. Ultimately, the frictional force is no longer sufficient; an end section slips instead of bending. It is occasionally attempted to use stops to restrain the ends. However, this is unsatisfactory in various respects. Mainly, there is a danger of buckling.